7 new frogs discovered in India, some smaller than a thumbnail

Popular in the CommunitySponsoredSponsoredOrangutan found tortured and decapitated prompts Indonesia probeEMGIES17 Jan, 2018We will never know the full extent of what this poor Orangutan went through before he died, the same must be done to this evil perpetrator(s) they don’t deserve the air that they breathe this has truly upset me and I wonder for the future for these wonderful creatures. So called ‘Mankind’ has a lot to answer for we are the only ones ruining this world I prefer animals to humans any day of the week.What makes community ecotourism succeed? In Madagascar, location, location, locationScissors1dOther countries should also learn and try to incorporateWhy you should care about the current wave of mass extinctions (commentary)Processor1 DecAfter all, there is no infinite anything in the whole galaxy!Infinite stupidity, right here on earth.The wildlife trade threatens people and animals alike (commentary)Anchor3dUnfortunately I feel The Chinese have no compassion for any living animal. They are a cruel country that as we knowneatbeverything that moves and do not humanily kill these poor animals and insects. They have no health and safety on their markets and they then contract these diseases. Maybe its karma maybe they should look at the way they live and stop using animals for all there so called remedies. DisgustingConservationists welcome China’s wildlife trade banThobolo27 JanChina has consistently been the worlds worst, “ Face of Evil “ in regards our planets flora and fauna survival. In some ways, this is nature trying to fight back. This ban is great, but the rest of the world just cannot allow it to be temporary, because history has demonstrated that once this coronavirus passes, they will in all likelihood, simply revert to been the planets worst Ecco Terrorists. Let’s simply not allow this to happen! How and why they have been able to degrade this planets iconic species, rape the planets rivers, oceans and forests, with apparent impunity, is just mind boggling! Please no more.Probing rural poachers in Africa: Why do they poach?Carrot3dOne day I feel like animals will be more scarce, and I agree with one of my friends, they said that poaching will take over the world, but I also hope notUpset about Amazon fires last year? Focus on deforestation this year (commentary)Bullhorn4dLies and more leisSponsoredSponsoredCoke is again the biggest culprit behind plastic waste in the PhilippinesGrapes7 NovOnce again the article blames companies for the actions of individuals. It is individuals that buy these products, it is individuals that dispose of them improperly. If we want to change it, we have to change, not just create bad guys to blame.Brazilian response to Bolsonaro policies and Amazon fires growsCar4 SepThank you for this excellent report. I feel overwhelmed by the ecocidal intent of the Bolsonaro government in the name of ‘developing’ their ‘God-given’ resources.U.S. allocates first of $30M in grants for forest conservation in SumatraPlanet4dcarrot hella thick ;)Melting Arctic sea ice may be altering winds, weather at equator: studyleftylarry30 JanThe Arctic sea ice seems to be recovering this winter as per the last 10-12 years, good news.Malaysia has the world’s highest deforestation rate, reveals Google forest mapBone27 Sep, 2018Who you’re trying to fool with selective data revelation?You can’t hide the truth if you show historical deforestation for all countries, especially in Europe from 1800s to this day. WorldBank has a good wholesome data on this.Mass tree planting along India’s Cauvery River has scientists worriedSurendra Nekkanti23 JanHi Mongabay. Good effort trying to be objective in this article. I would like to give a constructive feedback which could help in clearing things up.1. It is mentioned that planting trees in village common lands will have negative affects socially and ecologically. There is no need to even have to agree or disagree with it, because, you also mentioned the fact that Cauvery Calling aims to plant trees only in the private lands of the farmers. So, plantation in the common lands doesn’t come into the picture.2.I don’t see that the ecologists are totally against this project, but just they they have some concerns, mainly in terms of what species of trees will be planted. And because there was no direct communication between the ecologists and Isha Foundation, it was not possible for them to address the concerns. As you seem to have spoken with an Isha spokesperson, if you could connect the concerned parties, it would be great, because I see that the ecologists are genuinely interested in making sure things are done the right way.May we all come together and make things happen.Rare Amazon bush dogs caught on camera in BoliviaCarrot1 Feba very good iniciative to be fallowed by the ranchers all overSponsored Article published by Shreya Dasgupta Amphibians, Animals, Conservation, Deforestation, Forests, Frogs, Habitat Loss, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Illegal Mining, Mining, New Species, Research, Species Discovery, Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation All the newly described species belong to the genus Nyctibatrachus, commonly known as night frogs.Apart from being tiny, these frogs live a secretive life under forest leaf litter or marsh vegetation and they sound like insects, making it difficult for researchers to locate them.But these species seem to be common and abundant in the locations they were found, researchers say.Despite being commonly encountered, all seven species might be threatened by habitat loss. Indian scientists have discovered seven new species of frogs in the Western Ghats, a biodiversity-rich mountain range in India.All the newly described species belong to the genus Nyctibatrachus, commonly known as night frogs.Four of these frogs are only 12 to 16 millimeters in length, making them smaller than a thumbnail. In fact, these miniature-sized amphibians are among the smallest frogs in the world, researchers report in a new study published in PeerJ. The world’s smallest frog is believed to be the 7.7-millimeter long Paedophryne amauensis, found in Papua New Guinea.Seven new species discovered from the Western Ghats. A. Radcliffe’s Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus radcliffei), B. Athirappilly Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus athirappillyensis), C. Kadalar Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus webilla), D. Sabarimala Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus sabarimalai), E. Vijayan’s Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus pulivijayani), F. Manalar Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus manalari), G. Robin Moore’s Night Frog. [(D-G. Size of the miniature species in comparison to the Indian five-rupee coin (24 mm diameter)] Photo credit: SD BijuFinding the night frogs was not an easy task.Apart from being tiny, these frogs live a secretive life under forest leaf litter or marsh vegetation and they sound like insects, making it difficult for researchers to locate them. These frogs may have remained undiscovered for a long time, but these species seem to be common and abundant in the locations they were found, researchers say.“The miniature species are locally abundant and fairly common but they have probably been overlooked because of their extremely small size, secretive habitats and insect-like calls,” said lead-author Sonali Garg, a PhD student at the University of Delhi.Despite being commonly encountered, all seven species are likely to be threatened by habitat loss, researchers say. They are all known only from the single locations where they were discovered, some of which lie outside protected areas. Moreover, much of the southern Western Ghats, where the new species were discovered, is currently threatened by illegal mining, construction of hydro-power dams and large-scale infrastructure development.Data from the University of Maryland visualized on Global Forest Watch show the southern Western Ghats, where the new frogs were found, lost around 1.5 percent of its tree cover between 2001 and 2014. The region is home to many previously known endemic amphibian species that are found nowhere else in the world. The NGO Alliance for Zero Extinction shows the ranges of four that are endangered.Two of the frogs, Radcliffe’s night frog (Nyctibatrachus radcliffei) and the Kadalar night frog (N. webilla) for example, were found inside private or state-owned plantation areas. The Athirappilly night frog (N. athirappillyensis) was discovered near the Athirappilly waterfall in the state of Kerala, which lies inside a reserved forest that is threatened by a proposed hydroelectric project. Similarly, the Sabarimala night frog (N. sabarimalai) was found close to a popular pilgrimage center that is estimated to attract over 100 million devotees every year.“Over 32 percent, that is one-third of the Western Ghats frogs are already threatened with extinction. Out of the seven new species, five are facing considerable anthropogenic threats and require immediate conservation prioritization,” Prof SD Biju, who led the new study and has also formally described over 80 new species of amphibians from India, said in the statement.Athirappilly Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus athirappillyensis) was discovered from areas adjoining the Athirappilly waterfall, site for a proposed hydroelectric project. Photo credit: SD Biju.Between 2006 and 2015, scientists described 1,581 new species of amphibians. Of these, 159 species were discovered in the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka region, making it one of the leading biodiversity hotspots for new amphibian species discoveries, researchers say.Until now, the night frog genus Nyctibatrachus included 28 recognised species, of which more than half were described over the last five years. The discovery of the seven new species raises the number of Nyctibatrachus species to 35.Vijayan’s Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus pulivijayani), a 13.6 mm miniature-sized frog from Agasthyamala hills in the Western Ghats, sitting comfortably on a thumbnail. Photo credit: SD Biju.Citation:Garg S, Suyesh R, Sukesan S, Biju S. (2017) Seven new species of Night Frogs (Anura, Nyctibatrachidae) from the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot of India, with remarkably high diversity of diminutive forms. PeerJ 5:e3007 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3007FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post. 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